


Overflow With Pearl

by lahdolphin



Series: I Belong by the Sea [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship, Gen, Nakamaship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24702697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lahdolphin/pseuds/lahdolphin
Summary: Vivi was not startled by Usopp and Chopper cheering as Luffy reeled in a large fish, nor was she startled by Zoro and Sanji breaking out into a fight over the appropriate amount of sake consumption before dinner. The thing that finally startled her was Robin asking, “Why did you join this crew?”
Relationships: Nefertari Vivi & Nico Robin
Series: I Belong by the Sea [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787068
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	Overflow With Pearl

“May I join you?”

Vivi was still not used to hearing that woman’s voice and thinking _Nico Robin_ instead of _Miss All Sunday_. When she looked up at the woman, who stood nearby with a book tucked under her arm, she struggled to think _Nico Robin_ and not _she helped destroy my kingdom_. Every time she thought of that woman, she tried to think _Nico Robin_ instead of _she made my people suffer_.

Vivi smiled and hoped it was earnest. She wanted to forget those things, to think of her as Nico Robin, a fellow crewmate, a fellow Straw Hat. Some days, it was harder than others.

“Of course,” Vivi said.

Robin sat a few feet away, her back to the railing of the quarterdeck just like Vivi. Robin sat with her legs tucked to the side while Vivi’s legs were stretched out, giving Carue a place to rest his head while he napped. Robin read her book quietly and Vivi went back to her work, editing the recipes Sanji wrote down while they were in Alabasta. The ones he received from the staff in the palace were correct, but several of the recipes he wrote himself after tasting local cuisine combined spices that, traditionally, were only used with certain meats and not with others.

Vivi was not startled by Usopp and Chopper cheering as Luffy reeled in a large fish, nor was she startled by Zoro and Sanji breaking out into a fight over the appropriate amount of sake consumption before dinner. The thing that finally startled her was Robin asking, “Why did you join this crew?”

Vivi jumped and nearly slashed a line through Sanji’s recipe book. Carue let out a noise that let her know he was not happy about his pillow moving unexpectedly.

“You do not have to answer, of course,” Robin said pleasantly. “I’m simply curious since you went through so much hardship to save your kingdom from Crocodile.”

“And you,” Vivi said, as cool as she could manage to stop herself from boiling with rage. "I went through such hardship to save my kingdom from _you_."

Robin did not smile, but she did not look apologetic either. She looked blank, a mask without a face.

Vivi looked away from the woman and out at the sea. “I love my kingdom more than anything else, but I thought surely, there were other kingdoms, other places where people were suffering under the hands of cruel dictators and evil pirates. I could not stay in my kingdom knowing that others are suffering when I may have the chance to save them, too. I want to create a just world where no one else suffers like my people did."

“Oh?” Robin said. Vivi did not look to see her reaction. She did not think it would help if she had. Surely, it would still be a blank mask. Even if it was not, she would not know how to read her expression.

It was then that Sanji came out of the kitchen onto the main deck and called out, “I have prepared a delicious afternoon snack for the ladies!”

Carue lifted his head like he had been awake all along and quacked so loudly, Sanji must have heard it, too.

“And for the duck!” Sanji added, his smile audible.

Carue shot to his feet and ran off in search of food.

“Shall we, then?” Robin asked. She marked her place in her book. When she stood, she offered a hand to Vivi, who took it.

Vivi walked in front of Robin and saw the crew before her. Nami was near Merry's head lounging in the sun in a tiny bikini as Sanji handed her a plate and a glass of strawberry lemonade. Zoro was sitting with his arms crossed by the kitchen, a sizable lump on his head and no sake bottle in sight. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were going into the kitchen, knowing that if Sanji made a snack for the girls, then he certainly made something for them, too.

“Also,” Vivi said, turning to look at Robin over her shoulder, “I love the sea and I love this crew.” 

For the first time, when Robin smiled, Vivi knew it was genuine.

**Author's Note:**

> I love the idea of Vivi joining the crew instead of staying in Alabasta, but I also acknowledge that her joining is inherently out of character given her dedication to her people. So, this is me coming to terms with that.
> 
> The title "Overflow With Pearl" is a reference to Emily Dickinson's poem, "I Started Early—Took my Dog—" which is a poem about the magic and danger of the sea. Since this is the second fic I've written where Vivi joins the crew, I decided to make a series out of it. Hopefully I'll add more to this AU in the future. The series name, "I Belong by the Sea" is a line from the song "Orange Trees" by Marina.
> 
> **[Tumblr](http://lahdolphin.tumblr.com) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/lahdolphin)**


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